A power converter is disclosed. The power converter includes a Single-Input-Multiple-Output (SIMO) device includes a first transistor connected to an input and a first end of an inductor, a second transistor connected to a second end of the inductor and a first output, and a third transistor connected to the second end of the inductor and a second output. The power converter also includes a controller connected to the SIMO device and is configured to maintain a minimum inductor current through the inductor between charging cycles and to cause the minimum inductor current to transition to a charging inductor current during a charging cycle. The charging inductor current is based on a difference between an output voltage signal and a target voltage signal.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A power converter comprising: a Single-Input-Multiple-Output (SIMO) device including: a first transistor connected to an input and a first end of an inductor; a second transistor connected to a second end of the inductor and a first output; a third transistor connected to the second end of the inductor and a second output; and a controller connected to the SIMO device and configured to maintain an inductor current through the inductor between charging cycles and to cause the inductor current to transition to a charging inductor current during a charging cycle, wherein the charging inductor current is based on a difference between an output voltage signal and a target voltage signal, wherein the controller includes an integrator configured to generate an inductor current signal corresponding to the inductor current based on a difference between (1) the output voltage signal provided by at least one of the first output and the second output and (2) the target voltage signal, wherein the controller is configured to generate a charging inductor current signal based on the inductor current signal and a target current peak signal, and wherein the charging inductor current signal comprises a root-mean-square (RMS) of the inductor current and the target current peak signal.
2. The power converter as recited in claim 1 , wherein the controller further comprises: a squaring device configured to generate a squared inductor current signal and a squared target current peak signal; a summer connected to an output of the squaring device and configured to generate a summed signal based on the squared inductor current signal and the squared target current peak signal; and a square root device that is connected to an output of the summer and configured to generate the target current peak signal based on the summed signal.
3. The power converter as recited in claim 2 , wherein the squaring device comprises at least one of a frequency mixer and a multiplier.
4. The power converter as recited in claim 2 , wherein the square root device comprises a translinear amplifier.
5. The power converter as recited in claim 2 , wherein the square root device comprises a look-up table.
6. The power converter as recited in claim 2 , wherein the controller further comprises: an analog-to-digital converter connected to an output of the integrator and configured to generate a digital representation of the inductor current, wherein the squaring device is connected to an output of the analog-to-digital converter; and a digital-to-analog converter connected to an output of the square root device and configured to generate an analog representation of the target current peak signal.
7. The power converter as recited in claim 1 , wherein the target current peak signal comprises a programmable direct current (DC) signal representing a target current peak setting for at least one of the first output and the second output.
8. A power converter comprising: a Single-Input-Multiple-Output (SIMO) device including: a first transistor connected to an input and a first end of an inductor; a second transistor connected to a second end of the inductor and a first output; a third transistor connected to the second end of the inductor and a second output; and a controller connected to the SIMO device and configured to maintain an inductor current through the inductor between charging cycles and to cause the inductor current to transition to (1) a first charging inductor current during a first charging cycle corresponding to the first output and (2) to a second charging inductor current during a second charging cycle corresponding to the second output, wherein the first charging inductor current is based on a difference between a first output voltage signal at the first output and a first target voltage signal for the first output and the second charging inductor current is based on a difference between a second output voltage signal at the second output and a second target voltage signal for the second output, wherein the controller includes an integrator configured to generate an inductor current signal corresponding to the inductor current based on the difference between (1) the first output voltage signal provided by at least one of the first output and the second output and (2) the first target voltage signal for the at least one of the first output and the second output, wherein the controller is configured to generate a first charging inductor current signal based on the inductor current signal and a target current peak signal for the first output, and wherein the first charging inductor current signal comprises a root-mean-square (RMS) of the inductor current and the target current peak signal for the first output.
9. The power converter as recited in claim 8 , wherein the controller further comprises: a squaring device configured to generate a squared inductor current signal and a squared target current peak signal corresponding to the first output; a summer connected to an output of the squaring device and configured to generate a summed signal based on the squared inductor current signal and the squared target current peak signal; and a square root device that is connected to an output of the summer and configured to generate the target current peak signal for the first output based on the summed signal.
10. The power converter as recited in claim 9 , wherein the squaring device comprises at least one of a frequency mixer and a multiplier.
11. The power converter as recited in claim 9 , wherein the square root device comprises a translinear amplifier.
12. The power converter as recited in claim 9 , wherein the square root device comprises a look-up table.
13. The power converter as recited in claim 9 , wherein the controller further comprises: an analog-to-digital converter connected to an output of the integrator and configured to generate a digital representation of the inductor current, wherein the squaring device is connected to an output of the analog-to-digital converter; and a digital-to-analog converter connected to an output of the square root device and configured to generate an analog representation of the target current peak signal.
14. The power converter as recited in claim 9 , wherein the squaring device is connected to an output of the integrator.
15. The power converter as recited in claim 8 , wherein the target current peak signal comprises a programmable direct current (DC) signal representing a target current peak setting for at least one of the first output and the second output.
16. The power converter as recited in claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to generate a second charging inductor current signal based on the inductor current signal and a target current peak signal for the second output.
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May 17, 2019
May 17, 2022
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